‘It’s all about the views’

Decorating a converted farm in rural Scotland doesn’t have to mean rustic. Emma Clanfield has created a home with colour and quirky accessories that maximise the scenery

One stunning house that’s full of inspiration

House hunting in 2001, Emma Clanfield only looked at two properties, falling in love with the second. ‘I saw the view from this house and I bought it straight away,’ she remembers. Emma and her husband Steve were living abroad at the time, but wanted to buy in the area to live near their family, once they were back in the UK. ‘My parents are just down the road, and my brother and his family live next door to them,’ Emma says.

‘Steve didn’t see it until the day we moved in! And what a day that was – it was snowing so much that the removal vans and the oil delivery truck couldn’t get up the hill, so the previous owners couldn’t move out so the oil central heating had gone off when we moved in. Thankfully, the winters have been kinder since then.’

Once in, they roughed it for a while, knowing the house needed modernising, but the winter cold decided their priorities. They immediately updated the insulation and central heating, installed new wooden double glazing, but with larger panes

to make the most of the views, and a bigger wood-burning stove in the main living space. Originally, this room was extremely long, so Emma and Steve decided to split it in two. Reducing its length has made it much cosier and easier to furnish.

They also removed a downstairs bedroom to enlarge and open up the family room off the kitchen. ‘We wanted to enjoy the views from the house from every angle,’ Emma says. Meanwhile, an en-suite bathroom was enlarged to incorporate a freestanding bath next to a low window, to make the most of a view down the hill.

Emma initially trained as a textile designer but later retrained in interior design. Her decor is a vibrant mix of colour and texture. ‘My mother and grandfather were both artists and have been a big influence on me,’ she says. Emma and Steve have added individuality to their home with their knick-knacks and treasures, brought back from far-flung travels, not only from living in the Middle East, but from their holidays in India.

The effect is a home full of colour, character and charm – always with one eye on the beautiful outdoors.

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EASY LIVING LEFT The wood-burning stove is a cosy focal point in this room. Many of the paintings are by Emma’s mum, artist Jennifer Hudson, who owns Dalfling Art Gallery. The white sofa is from Habitat and the mustard one from Multiyork.

WALLS TELL A STORY LEFT Leading from the family room to Emma’s office, the corridor is lined with family photographs on one side and artworks on the other. The lampshade is covered in a bespoke colourway of Mandalay from Rapture & Wright.

FAVOURITE SANCTUARY Emma planned her bedroom as an exercise in tonal shades but she couldn’t leave it there and had to add in colour! The bedside cabinets are Korean, but bought in Qatar, when she lived there. The walls are painted in Rolling Fog by...

GUEST RETREAT ABOVE The colourful kantha quilt at the foot of the bed is from Emma’s sister’s company, Rebecca’s Aix Home (rebeccasaixhome.com). The quilts are handmade in India from recycled cotton saris. The wallpaper is Threads Raindrops in Celery...

WELCOME IN BELOW Emma loves the view through the glass door at the end of the hallway into the walled garden. The floor is painted in Rolling Fog by Little Greene.